: any of several strains of a bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus) that are resistant to methicillin and related antibiotics (such as penicillin) and typically live harmlessly on skin and mucous membranes but may cause usually mild infections of the skin or sometimes more severe infections (as of the blood, lungs, or bones) especially in hospitalized or immunocompromised individuals see ca-mrsa

Examples of MRSA in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But a bigger concern is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, said Dr. Chuck Gerba, a professor of virology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Melanie Radzicki McManus, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025 That said, green light therapy is generally used to treat migraines; yellow light for depression; and blue light to kill resistant strains of bacteria, like MRSA infections, and to treat seasonal affective disorder, a depression that typically onsets in late fall and continues through winter. Praveen Arany, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025 To make matters worse, the cut had developed a staph (MRSA) infection that could also have forced him out of the fight. Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 The genetic material of several human pathogens—among them MRSA, Bartonella quintana, and hepatitis C—has also been found in bedbugs outside the laboratory. Kristen V. Brown, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for MRSA 

Word History

Etymology

methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of MRSA was in 1979

Dictionary Entries Near MRSA

Cite this Entry

“MRSA.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/MRSA. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

MRSA

noun
ˌem-ˌär-ˌes-ˈā,
ˈmər-sə
: any of several strains of a bacterium that are resistant to many common antibiotics and may cause usually mild infections of the skin or sometimes more severe infections (as of the blood or lungs)
Etymology

methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus

Medical Definition

: any of several strains of a bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus) that are resistant to methicillin and related antibiotics (such as penicillin) and often live harmlessly on skin and mucous membranes but may cause usually mild infections of the skin or sometimes more severe infections (as of the blood, lungs, or bone) especially in hospitalized or immunocompromised individuals
The rise of superbugs that can survive multiple antibiotics—such as MRSA, the notorious "flesh-eating bacterium"—has turned once-trivial infections into persistent problems.Valerie Ross, Discover
MRSA—methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—lives harmlessly in the noses and on the skin of millions of people, but can cause serious harm if it enters the body through a cut and reaches the bloodstream, attacking bones and tissue.Bob Meadows, People
But in 2002 strains of MRSA that were also resistant to vancomycin began to emerge in hospitals.Christopher T. Walsh et al., Scientific American
see ca-mrsa
Etymology

methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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